FORMER WOMEN’S WORLD number one tennis player Martina Hingis believes parental support is imperative to achieving success in the game.
The five-time Grand Slam tournament winner retired from the sport in 2007 after spending a total of 209 weeks as the top ranked women’s player.
Hingis won three Australian Opens, one Wimbledon and one US Open title, becoming the youngest ever world number one in 1997, aged just 16-and-a-half.
And the Swiss ace credits the influence of her parents for her rise to the top of the sport.
“I was really lucky and very fortunate to have a career like I had and have a mother like I did, I think that is the most important thing,” Hingis said.
“Now I really enjoy working with the young and upcoming players and trying to teach them about the experiences I had and to give a bit of my knowledge.
“First of all I had great parents who pushed me along the way and were very dedicated and there is a desire which is very important as well, so you have to have almost tunnel vision and focus on the game.
“I have profited from that today but back then it was hard because when you are 16,17 or 18, there are so many other distractions but on the other hand tennis has to be the priority and that for me was the most important thing.”
Hingis believes the influence of a strong support network is evident in the continued success of her compatriot, 17-time Grand Slam tournament winner Roger Federer.
“To keep the number one spot you have to keep working hard otherwise you will lose it very quickly,” she said. ”I think this is the problem today because you have to have the right guidance and support and the right people around you to do well.
“If you see Roger Federer, he has great people around him and that is why he is able to have such a long-lasting career.”
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